Police arrest six juveniles accused of beating man in Little Italy

Baltimore police have arrested six juveniles they believe beat a man early Sunday in Little Italy, causing serious facial injuries.

Police are not releasing the identities of the suspects because of their age. Baltimore police spokesman Sgt. Eric Kowalczyk said additional suspects are being sought.

About 1:10 a.m. Sunday, police responded to the 300 block of S. Exeter Street, where they found the 24-year-old victim, who was bleeding and complaining of a broken jaw and missing teeth.

He told police he was walking west in the 1200 block of Bank Street when he saw 10 to 15 males between the ages of 14 and 24 walking on the other side of the block, according to a police report. The group approached, one of the males yelled, "Hey," and someone hit him in the face. The victim fell and was kicked, he told police. As he cried for help, he said, he felt someone reach into his front pockets.

Police say someone stole his Samsung Galaxy III phone and the group fled east on Bank Street. They did not take the victim's money, the police report stated.

The victim was taken to an area hospital, where his condition Wednesday was not known. Based on his description and "good community intelligence," Baltimore police were able to make the arrests, Kowalczyk said.

Detectives will be looking into whether the suspects could also be linked to other beatings.

"Once detectives get a case like this," Kowalczyk said, "they always take a look at the suspects and look at similar incidents that may have occurred elsewhere."

In an incident that occurred a week before the beating, a group of five young black males are suspected of assaulting a 37-year-old Hispanic man about 1.5 miles away in the 2700 block of E. Fairmount Avenue near Patterson Park. That incident remains under investigation, police said.

Police declined to comment on whether any links between the incidents exist.